Holiday
Before their family situation had gone awry, holidays had been a big affair in the Davis household. Claire could recall with a smile how excited she and Emma would be come Christmas morning, nearly tumbling over each other in their haste to get to their presents. When they were younger, one of their parents would usually record their reactions. The tapes were lost somewhere in the house, but Claire still had her memories to draw from. Over the years, the celebrations had minimized to the point of practically being nonexistent. But this year was different. This year, she and Emma no longer danced around each other and awkwardly passed each other last minute cards lacking a personal message. This year, presents dotted the floor under the tree, everything selected with care down to the wrapping paper.
Claire regarded the presents with a grin, clapping her hands with giddiness. The holidays had always been her favorite part of the year, and she was excited to be celebrating properly again. Especially with company. It was no secret to her that Emma and David had been spending more time together lately, and she’d gotten to know him pretty well. Though he generally pretended to be annoyed with her, Claire knew she’d wriggled into a part of his heart as well. Along with all of the nicknames she’d granted him. She knew that he’d be spending his holidays alone if she didn’t invite him over, so she’d called him over to help them decorate on Christmas Eve. Emma had been surprised to see him, as Claire hadn’t shared her plans, but her surprise was quickly squashed by the smile on David’s face. Claire had stood by and watched the scene unfold while victoriously eating a spoonful of cookie dough. In the end, Claire had wound up with enough cookie dough to feed a few small armies. In order to get out of dish duty, Emma had elected to run to the store for eggnog. So Claire had turned her puppy dog eyes on David and asked him to help her with the dishes, and though he looked unaffected by her expression, he stayed behind anyways.
The smell of baking cookies soon filled the kitchen, and there was a comfortable silence interrupted only by Claire’s humming and the soft splashing of dishes. Claire passed David the scrubbed dishes, which he’d then rinse and put in the dishwasher. It was a nice rhythm. She was expecting David to ask her about her invitation, but wasn’t prepared for it to be halfway through her rendition of ‘Deck the Halls’.
"Why didn’t you tell your sister I was coming?" He asked nonchalantly, rinsing off one of the many Christmas cookie sheets that had been pulled out for the occasion.
" — me in merry measure, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la…"
"Claire."
"While I tell of Yule-tide treasure, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la. Fast away the — "
”Claire.”
" — old year passes, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! Hail the new year lads and — "
Claire might have continued if it weren’t for the sudden spritz of water that came her way, eliciting a small shriek from her before she burst into laughter. She glanced at David to see a more serious expression on his face, though a twitch at the corner of his lips told her something different. Holding her hands up in defeat, Claire leaned against the opposite counter and crossed her arms. “Alright Mr. Scrooge, I was just spreading the holiday cheer.” She said with an innocent raise of her eyebrows.
David shook his head, tossing the rag onto his shoulder. “You were also avoiding the question,” He responded, fixing her with an expectant expression. Claire shrugged carefully, although she put a hand under her chin and tapped it thoughtfully. After a moment, she pouted playfully and turned back to David.
"Actually I just did. Spreading the holiday cheer, remember?" A smile spread on her face at David’s furrowing brow. They picked on each other like siblings half the time, and Claire enjoyed it. The timer on the oven rang then, and Claire hurriedly grabbed her oven mitts before taking them out. She sighed with satisfaction at the shapes that they’d cut out, all looking better than she’d expected. "These look amazing by the way." She said over her shoulder, waiting for David to approach. When he didn’t she turned to look at him. A small flicker of sadness crossed his features, though he did his best to erase it. Claire didn’t say anything, just turned off the oven and took off her oven mitts. She waited for him to speak, and when he did, it was another question.
"Claire, honestly, why am I here?" The question was aimed at her, but a small bit of understanding hit Claire as she recognized David was asking himself that as much as he was asking her. She sighed softly and then approached to push at his shoulder playfully.
"You know the answer to that as much as I do. You’re here because you belong here, even if you haven’t accepted it yet." At that moment the front door opened, and Claire gave David a final glance before rushing to help Emma with the groceries. Exclamations were made over the frosting Emma had bought too, as they were the kinds with sprinkles. David eventually made his way into the living room again, too, though he did so with the slightest amount of trepidation. Emma shot Claire a few curious looks though she busied herself with grabbing the frosting and returning to the kitchen. From in there she heard a few hushed whispers, remnants of a conversation not meant for her. But when she finally went back out again, the first thing she noticed were the hands clasped between the two of them. Not commenting, she set the cookies down in front of them with an air of finality. Clapping her hands together for a small moment, Claire turned towards the tree and pointed towards the presents.
"Seeing as how I put this together, I want the honors of passing out the presents." She said, already darting towards the presents. She ignored Emma’s half hearted protests and dug around for David’s first. Finally the square shaped box caught her eye, and she pulled it out with a victorious expression. Tossing it over, Claire sat on the floor and patiently waited for him to open it. She ignored the way he avoided her eyes, as if maybe she hadn’t seem them holding hands. He and Emma might still be dancing around their feelings for each other, but Claire was always one for being perceptive. She didn’t know his full story, and she doubted she’d ever ask. But she was aware of the tinge of sadness and hope in David’s eyes when he looked at Emma sometimes, and it was that combination that made Claire trust him. There was also light in Emma’s eyes again, and it made Claire hope for all she was worth that they’d become official soon. Something told her they both needed that happiness. David’s reaction to his new mug was enough to pull Claire from her musings, and she laughed along with Emma. David, however, fixed her with a pointed glare as he looked back at the mug. It was a Disney mug, plain enough save for the dwarf on the side of it. “Grumpy” was clearly visible in bold letters, and Claire held up her hands in defeat again. “What can I say, I thought it suited you.”
The night would continue on without a hitch, ending with a few flying cookies and everyone winding up sleeping in the living room. David never once commented on the fact that Emma hadn’t gotten him anything, though Claire knew the real truth. The pair didn’t let go of each other’s hands for most of the night, and Claire was aware of how big of a milestone that was. The real present was in the expansion of their connection, and in not being thrown out when he’d arrived. The real present was in Emma’s companionship. The real present, unbeknownst to Claire, was the second chance at something more.
